JAKOVCIC:ISTRIA HAS RIGHT TO POLITICAL RECOGNITION OF ITS UNIQUENESS

POREC, Feb 20 (Hina) - "Istria has the right to the political recognition of its uniqueness as the expression of what citizens want. I believe, therefore, that times have come when the patience of the Istrian man will be rewarded, in his persistent struggle for the respect for all great values of the modern Europe, from the respect for multiculturality and multilingual environment to respect for anti-Fascism as the foundations of the free world, said Ivan Jakovcic, the President of the Istrian Democratic Alliance (IDS) at Sunday's ceremonial reception in Porec, held on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of this political party. Jakovcic said Istria had now great prospects of spiritual and material progress, and in his mind, credit for this should given to the IDS. He recalled that in summer 1998 Porec hosted a meeting which organised the IDS for leaders of the then opposition parties: HSS, HNS, HSLS (before it was split in HSLS and LS) and IDS. Subsequently the event was labelled as "the meeting of the Porec group". Jakovcic viewed this meeting as having laid foundations for the six-party coalition that won the January 3 parliamentary election in Croatia. The IDS has also in this manner contributed to democratic changes, its leader said adding that this party will take active part in efforts which the new Croatian Government and parliament are now making. (hina) ms